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Your home is supposed to be a place of relaxation and refuge from the busy, noisy outside world. When you sit down in your living room, you want to be free from unwanted noise, whether it comes from outside your home or inside. Apartment dwellers and people who live in older homes, especially, can't always have the benefit of perfect noise insulation. However, there are easy steps you can take to soundproof without major renovations.

Floor

Hardwood or laminate floors have many advantages, but one major disadvantage is the noise or echo you create when you walk across them. Carpeted rooms are quieter, but if you want to reduce the noise your floor creates without giving up your hardwood, invest in some large, plush area rugs. The more of your floor that's covered in soft material, the quieter your room is. If you have laminate floors, you may try installing a thicker, sound-dampening underlayment.

Ceiling

People who live in apartments or two-story homes know how someone walking across a room above can sound like a herd of elephants in the rooms below. If you've already placed rugs or additional insulation on the floor above -- or asked your upstairs neighbors to do so -- and the noise still is intrusive, consider acoustic ceiling tiles. These dampen sound considerably, and the wide range of styles available means you don't have to sacrifice your decor to have a quieter room.

Windows and Walls

A lot of unwanted external noise enters through windows, so if this is a problem for you, make sure your windows are properly insulated. If redoing your windows isn't in your budget, a set of heavy drapes dampens external noise. If you extend those drapes to the floor, or even across the entire wall, you'll have the added benefit of muffling internal noise as well. As with the floor, the more hard, empty wall space that's covered with soft material, the quieter the room. Try tapestries or other fabric art on the walls in addition to large curtains or drapes. There also are sound-deadening paints available if you want to give your walls a quick all-over coat of sound insulation.

Furniture

A very simple way to deaden internal noise is to add more soft things to your living space. Cover your wood table with a tablecloth. Put cushions on hard chairs or replace them with upholstered ones. Drape your antique wooden rocking chair with that heirloom quilt in the closet. The more you fill your room with sound-absorbing materials, the less opportunities sound has to echo.

About the Author

Amy Wilde has worked as a grant developer, copy editor, writing tutor and writer. Based in Portland, Ore., she covers topics related to society, religion and culture. Wilde holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and classical civilization from the University of Toronto.